Abstract Background Research has shown that even during periods of remission, patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) experience reduced quality of life, mainly because of anxiety. Therefore, it is important to define and clarify the anxieties experienced by patients with UC. Methods An analysis was conducted based on Rodgers and Knafl’s concept analysis method. The electronic databases PubMed, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Japan Medical Abstracts Society were searched using the keywords “ulcerative colitis” AND “anxiety”. The search covered all years, and excluded conference proceedings. Only papers with abstracts were extracted. The initial search identified 1025 relevant articles, 70 of which were retained for analysis. For each article, a coding sheet was created to extract and classify descriptions of antecedents, attributes and consequences constituting the concept of disease-related anxiety. Results Three categories were identified as attributes of anxiety experienced by UC patients: concerns about relapses and complications, worries about treatment and side effects, and concerns about loss of lifestyle and relationships. Two categories were extracted as antecedent factors: disease and treatment factors, and life circumstances. Two categories were identified as related to consequences: leads to worsening medical condition and decline in quality of life. The three attributes comprised 12 subcategories. The concerns about relapses and complications category comprised concerns about relapse, faecal incontinence, complications, and cancer development. The treatment and side effects category comprised concerns about surgery, stoma, pregnancy and childbirth, infection, and medication side effects. The concerns about loss of lifestyle and relationships category comprised concerns about finances, employment, future life, and inconveniencing others. Conclusion The conceptual framework of aspects of anxiety identified in this study indicates that disease-related anxiety experienced by UC patients consists of concerns about relapse and complications, worries about treatment and side effects, and worries about lifestyle and relationship loss. Conflict of interest: Takahashi, Miho: No conflict of interest Nunotani, Maya: No conflict of interest
Takahashi et al. (2026) studied this question.